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We’ve recently been talking about each sanctuary elephant’s medical past, detailing what they dealt with before and upon coming to sanctuary. (You can read more about Bambi here and Rana here.) This week, we get into the challenges that Maia faced, which were different from the types of physical compromise that Rana and Bambi went through; while they had serious physical ailments, Maia had to face difficulties of the mental and emotional sort. 

Maia was with the circus for over 30 years and, after being seized and sent to the farm of the circus’ lawyer, she ended up being double-chained because she’d previously gotten loose and hurt someone. She would also knock down her companion Guida and steal her food. Maia would sometimes act out aggressively, perhaps because she felt she had to be tough, or out of fear–or both. Guida was the “good girl,” and received affection, while Maia did not. 

On the physical side, Maia was somewhere between fat and obese. She had an issue with one of her toes, but her feet were in much better shape than we could possibly have imagined, considering the state of her previous enclosure. She had overgrown nails and cuticles, but that was to be expected from an elephant who most likely did not receive any footwork in the past. She also had a spot on her right side that was concerning and a biopsy was done, with inconclusive results. The area is continually monitored by caregivers during her evaluations. Both Maia and Guida both had small wounds on their ears, which were possibly the result of bullhook usage. 

When she arrived, you could still tell that she seemed a little defensive, as though she was waiting for something bad to happen. We have seen in past elephants the mentality where they are ready to hurt someone else before they get hurt themselves, so we approached her a little more slowly than we did Guida. The first time we closed Maia into the treatment chute in the barn, after weeks of getting her comfortable being in there with the gates open, she began visibly trembling, so we opened up the gate again right away. It took a while for her to acclimate to being closed in that space. Oftentimes, circus elephants are abused behind the scenes, so it’s not uncommon for them to be tentative when facing a space like that. However, Maia’s reaction was stronger than we expected. Though Maia was vulnerable with Guida, she had an obvious fear of people and their potential. 

She had a bit of a tough time with someone who came to do some training with her after she had been at the sanctuary for a little while, which punctuated how sensitive she was (and is). Once Maia got to sanctuary, even in situations that made her concerned, she never showed aggression towards anyone–with one exception. An outside trainer was working with both Maia and Guida, and Guida’s people-pleasing personality made her a quick study. But when Maia wasn’t in the mood to do something, she could show extreme disinterest. The person doing their training was projecting an energy that she was disappointed she wasn’t getting what she wanted from Maia, partially in herself. We’ve talked in the past about how putting your own “stuff” on the elephants isn’t fair or productive, and that seemed to be what was happening in this instance. At one point, Maia swung her trunk out toward this trainer to send a message, and we’ve never seen that sort of response from her since. 

Maia was lucky to not face as many physical issues as some of the other girls, but it took many months for her emotional health to catch up with her physical health. The scars inside just seemed heavy for her. Abuse of any kind can cause a slower pace for healing and bonding in certain individuals; Maia has dealt with those barriers even after some time here, particularly after Mara arrived. She stayed on the outskirts of the group for months and it took quite a while for her to open up again fully–this time with Bambi. Thankfully, she’s surrounded by individuals who love and respect her now, and she’s shedding that emotional baggage more and more each day.

Photo of Maia in the sun, showing off her pink speckled nose